You probably know the script — meds for breakfast, meds for lunch and meds for dinner. It becomes part of the daily routine. But they don’t always help as much as we’d like, and they often come with side effects. The good news is that with a bit of planning and awareness, you can manage your medication more effectively. That can mean better relief and fewer unwanted effects.
Tips to Help You Manage Your Medication
Learning to manage your medication is crucial, especially when you live with chronic pain or a long-term condition. These suggestions might help you get more out of what you’ve been prescribed.
Medication Information
Learn Which Medication Is Right For Your Condition
Some medications work better for specific types of pain or symptoms. For example, anticonvulsants are often more effective for nerve pain, such as trigeminal neuralgia, than standard painkillers. If your current treatment isn’t helping, a different type of medication might be more suitable. It’s always worth discussing options with your doctor.
Other Meds
Always tell your doctor about any other medications or supplements you take. Even over-the-counter items or herbal remedies can interact with prescriptions, which might affect how well they work or cause unexpected side effects.
Read the Patient Information Leaflet
Always read the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that comes with your medication. It explains how and when to take it, the correct dosage, possible interactions, and whether you’ll need any routine blood tests.
You’ll also see a list of possible side effects. It can be a long (and sometimes intimidating) list, but remember — you won’t experience all of them, and you may not experience any at all. Still, it’s useful to know what to look out for. If you do develop a side effect, the leaflet will tell you how common it is, whether it usually settles after a few days, if you should speak to your doctor, or if you need urgent medical help.
Some side effects are serious and must never be ignored.
Serious side effects to watch for include: difficulty breathing or chest pain; swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat; a red or blistering rash or unexplained bruising; sudden weakness, confusion, fainting; suicidal thoughts or any other sudden symptom which concerns you.
These can be signs of an allergic reaction or another serious problem, so seek urgent medical help straight away if you notice anything like this.
If something feels serious, trust that instinct — it’s always safer to get checked.
For more information about side effects, I’ve written a separate post which you can read here.
How to Take Your Medication
- Only take medication exactly as prescribed.
- If you’re unsure about how or when to take something, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- Never increase, decrease or stop a medication without medical advice — doing so can make you seriously unwell.
- Most medications work best when taken at evenly spaced intervals (unless your doctor advises otherwise).
Many medicines also come in slow-release or extended-release versions, or even patches. These can sometimes reduce side effects because they deliver a steadier dose over the day. If this might help you, it’s worth asking your doctor whether an alternative formulation is available.
Side Effects
Some side effects are unavoidable, especially when you first start a new medication, and many settle as your body adjusts. But, as mentioned above, others can be serious and need urgent medical attention.
If you ever develop a severe reaction, your doctor might advise stopping the medication straight away — but only do this under their guidance. Sudden withdrawal from certain meds can be dangerous without proper supervision.
For more help with day-to-day side effects, you can read my tips on coping with them here.
Don’t Stop Taking Meds Without Medical Advice
Never stop a medication just because you’re feeling better. Often, you’re feeling better because of the medication. If you do want to stop or change your treatment, always consult your doctor and follow their instructions carefully.
Problems Swallowing Medication?
If you struggle to swallow tablets whole, do not crush or split them without checking with your pharmacist or reading the PIL. Doing so can reduce effectiveness or cause other health problems.
Some tips that might help:
- Take the medication with milk instead of water.
- Try a spoonful of yoghurt, honey or applesauce.
If you continue to have difficulty, speak to your doctor or pharmacist — they will usually have a safe solution.
Combination of Medications
Sometimes, a combination of medications is needed rather than just one on its own. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer for which medications will work best — we’re all different, so it often involves some trial and error to find the right drug or combination that works for you. But don’t give up — keep trying and keep communicating with your doctor.
Many people take multiple medications, not only for pain management but also for other conditions. When this happens, it can be tricky to know which drug is causing side effects. Sometimes, side effects may not come from a single medication at all, but from the way they interact.
It can help to ask your doctor or pharmacist whether the medications can be taken at different times or spaced out. Giving one medication time to take effect before introducing another can sometimes make side effects easier to identify and manage.
Generic or Brand Name Medication?
Medications can come from different manufacturers but should contain the same active ingredients. That said, there can be slight differences.
Think of it like cornflakes: Kellogg’s versus a supermarket own-brand. The basic product is the same, but there may be subtle differences in taste or texture. Some people prefer Kellogg’s; others actually like the supermarket version better — and it’s cheaper.
The same applies to medications. Each brand may feel slightly different to you, and some people notice they respond better to one over another. Occasionally, doctors or pharmacists may change the brand when prescribing, and you might notice a difference. If you suddenly feel worse or your side effects increase, check whether your medication has been switched to a different manufacturer.
In the UK, medications are sometimes changed to cheaper versions to save the NHS money. That makes sense, just like choosing the supermarket cornflakes if funds are tight. But if the new version doesn’t agree with you, speak to your GP — they should be able to switch you back to the brand that works best for you.
When to See Your Doctor
If your medication isn’t working as well as it should, or the side effects are too difficult to cope with, make an appointment with your doctor. There are often alternative medications that might help.
Some drugs have newer or refined versions that may produce fewer side effects. There’s no guarantee that you won’t experience any, but it’s worth asking your doctor if a different formulation might work better for you.
Don’t Rule Out Meds
Try not to dismiss a medication completely because of side effects. Many side effects ease over time, and a drug that didn’t help you before might be effective now.
Also, avoid ruling out a medication based on other people’s experiences. Reading a long list of side effects in a PIL, or hearing someone else’s story, can be worrying — but everyone’s reaction can be different. What causes problems for one person may not affect you at all.
Food and Drink
Eating well is especially important when taking strong medications. Regular meals and good hydration help your body cope and support your overall wellbeing. Keep a bottle of water nearby so you don’t forget to drink throughout the day.
Should your medication be taken before, with, or after food? Your doctor or pharmacist should advise you. If they haven’t, check the PIL — it will usually say if timing with meals matters.
Some foods can interact with medications. Grapefruit is a common example, so always check the PIL for warnings.
Alcohol can also interfere with medications. Some medications must be avoided completely, while others may allow small amounts — but interactions can make the medication less effective or increase side effects. You might feel very unwell or get a severe hangover.
If you plan to have a drink, consider testing a small amount at home first to see how your body reacts.
Don’t Run Out of Medication
Never let your medication run out. Suddenly stopping certain medications can be dangerous, so set a reminder to reorder from your GP or pharmacy. This is especially important before holidays or times when the pharmacy might be closed.
Organising and Storing Medication
Organising and keeping medication safe is vitally important. I have covered this topic here.
Managing Strong Medication Can Be Challenging
I know how challenging it can be if you need to take strong medications. But if you can manage them more effectively, you may notice a real difference — they might work better for you, and you could experience fewer side effects.
Thank you so much for reading.
If this post resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
And feel free to share it with your friends or support groups.
Take care,
Liz.
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Know your meds, know your wellbeing.
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Please remember that the posts on Despite Pain are written using my experience and knowledge as someone who lives with chronic pain. They are not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a health care professional.
Thank you. I did not know about grapefruit. After reading this I looked out the leaflet and on one of my drugs it says do no eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. I had no idea. I will tell my doctor that I only discovered this after reading it on a website. I should have been toldt.
Yes, you should have been told. When I was first started on osteoporosis meds years ago, I discovered the no grapefruit rule. And I don’t think I was told either – I think I read it on the leaflet.
Very informative article. I tend to look up meds and the different side affects that may come with them, and to see how safe they are.
Yes, it’s always wise to. Thanks Lafayne
I work in the pharmaceutical industry so all this information is near and dear to me. The reason the ads for drugs or DTC (direct to consumer) ads are so long on TV in the US is because of all the adverse reaction reporting. Basically anytime someone suffered an adverse event, it needs to be brought up. That’s why those tv ads drone on forever with all the side effects. Actually, the US and NZ are the only two places I believe that still have DTC advertising for medications. Always read up on your meds and let your doctors know everything you are taking. There are several good pill identifying apps as well that also double as drug interaction apps.
Oh, wow, your ads must be really long if they report on the adverse effects because there tends to be a very long list. We don’t have ads for meds here in the UK. Thanks so much for your input, nice to hear from someone in the profession.
Fantastic tips, and a good point about brand vs generic medications. We should always have a voice and a say in our treatment. I ordered a pill box last week, which I’ll blog about soon hopefully, as a way of trying to get more organised and on top of my meds, and it also promoted a review of what I take and also what supplements I take/need to consider. Brilliant post! =]
Caz xx
Thanks Caz. I couldn’t cope without my pill box. I would be totally confused, especially because I am tapering down meds just now, so the dose is changing every week.
Great advice! Especially “Don’t just stop a med because you’re feeling better” some people that are unaccustomed to taking meds get excited when they feel better and finally able to get off the meds. But often, it is the meds that have made you feel better.
Oh, I know, people often stop meds, and a week later they feel worse than ever. It’s difficult though, I think we all live in hope of a magic cure.
This is great advice! It can get confusing when you take different medications that all have different requirements and restrictions. I’m going to check my meds and make sure I can have grapefruit while taking it.
Thanks Kristy. Yes, it does get confusing. And do check for that. It seems that a lot of people aren’t aware.
I guess this article is the most complete I ever read! you talk about all the important subjects and important details, like DONT Stop to take your medication if you start to feel better !!
Great to Read thanks
Thank you. It kept getting longer. I didn’t really think it was going to be as long, but I kept thinking of more points to add.
I like how you recommend the patient do their own research and advocate for themselves. With so many medications and side effects, it would be impossible for the provider to cover every possible side effect or food interaction. It is important for people to advocate for themselves and take their health into their own hands.
Definitely, Sarah. People really need to look after their own health sometimes, and it’s easy to read these leaflets just to double check things like interactions and side effects.
100% on changing the doses slowly. I remember weaning off my anxiety medication years ago…I thought I’d just quit cold turkey and almost lost my mind.
Oh, no…cold turkey is the worst. I think people do that once, then learn to never do it again.
In the United States, generic medications have to prove to be equivalent to the brand name medication before they are allowed to be marketed. There may be a difference in inactive ingredients, so if you are allergic to certain inactive ingredients and suddenly notice adverse effects from a new brand, the inactive ingredients may be the problem.
It’s amazing the difference those other ingredients can make.
Not meds but I always forget to take my vitamins. I have a few I need to take per day so I’ve started putting vitamins near my desk where I can grab and take after a meal.
Yes, if they’re in site and within reach, it’s always easier to remember to take them
Really good information as usual! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Rachael
Generic and brand name has never been an issue until I have to buy a brand name drug for my father that costs $830 for 30 days supply. Then I could care less of generic version as long as I can save some money.
It’s a crazy amount of money, isn’t it? It’s wrong that there can be such a price difference.
This is so helpful! Thank you so much, I was still eating grapefruit and I’m not supposed to with one of my meds!
I’m glad it helped Stephanie. it’s amazing about the grapefruit…so many people don’t seem to know.
This is so insightful especially if you’re already taking a lot of meds. As for me fortunately, I only take vitamin c, so i rarely forget it haha
Thank you. But I am a wee bit jealous. I wish I only had to take vitamin C.
I saw your post in a TN group. My friend was in hospital last year because of a reaction to one of her meds. This post is important. If you get a rash, do not waste time. Go straight to ER.
Hi Sarah, that must have been a huge worry. I hope your friend is doing well now. Thanks for commenting and highlighting just how important it is.
It’s so important to let your doctor know about all other medications and supplements you are taking. Drug interactions can be serious.
Yes, it is so important.
I am guilty of perhaps not managing my medicines optimally. I need to pay greater attention to the Patient Information Leaflet which comes with medicine. I just take the medicine which I already feel is a bother. Most importantly I like the suggestion that we should eat well so our bodies could cope more effectively with the strong medicines we now take, and some of us do take some strong medicines.
Yes, I think it’s important to put good nourishment into our bodies.
Great post! This is such important information that many people don’t think about .
Thank you. I hope it helps.
This is some sound advice – I have witnessed loved ones not follow the instructions on taking medication before, so I really appreciate you raising awareness!
It’s easy to take them, thinking that the doctor or pharmacist will have explained anything important. But they don’t always.
Such a very informative blog on a very important topic! More people need to read this! I do always read those leaflets from top to bottom, but I also try to go with as little as possible of medications as well.If there is something in nature that can help I will try that first.
Thank you. Yes, the less meds you need to take, the better.
Really helpful article. I hate medication and their pain in the butt directions. I stay clear of medications period.
Than you. That’s great if you’re able to stay clear of meds. I wish I could
Thank you so much for sharing this information. As someone with chronic and invisible illnesses, having resources like this is invaluable!
Thank you. I’m glad you find it useful.
Thanks for this thorough and useful post! After using the pill for years, I accepted to try the generic under the advice of the pharmacist who assured me it would be exactly the same, just cheaper. Nope, not at all, the generic gave me terrible headaches so yep, I agree with you, they’re not exactly the same! That’s great that you’ve pointed that out!
Thanks Claudia, yes, people do see a difference sometimes.
My mother is a nurse and I learned about this at a very young age. I suffer for chronic pains and about five years I quit all meds due to food interactions. I know not everyone can do it. But I knew I wanted to live freely without the fear of what if.
I’m really pleased you were able to do that. Side effects from meds can be so difficult to live with.